The Ruins of Lace
(Adobe EPUB eBook, OverDrive Read)
Lace is a thing like hope.
It is beauty; it is grace.
It was never meant to destroy so many lives.
The mad passion for forbidden lace has infiltrated France, pulling soldier and courtier into its web. For those who want the best, Flemish lace is the only choice, an exquisite perfection of thread and air. For those who want something they don't have, Flemish lace can buy almost anything-or anyone.
For Lisette, lace begins her downfall, and the only way to atone for her sins is to outwit the noble who know demands an impossible length of it. To fail means certain destruction. But for Katharina, lace is her salvation. It is who she is; it is what she does. If she cannot make this stunning tempest of threads, a dreaded fate awaits.
A taut, mesmerizing story, The Ruins of Lace explores the intricate tangle of fleeting beauty, mad obsession, and ephemeral hope.
"Stunning...this story is sure to impress."—Publishers Weekly
"A gorgeous wrought tale of two women bound to the cruelty and beauty of a forbidden perfection...Iris Anthony has delivered a stunning achievement."—C.W. Gortner, author of The Queen's Vow
"Exquisite...this is definitely a keeper to be savored. Whoever Iris Anthony is, she's a gifted writer with what is to be hoped is only the first of many wonderful stories to tell."—Sara Poole, author of Poison and The Borgias Mistress
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Iris Anthony. (2012). The Ruins of Lace. Sourcebooks.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)Iris Anthony. 2012. The Ruins of Lace. Sourcebooks.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)Iris Anthony, The Ruins of Lace. Sourcebooks, 2012.
MLA Citation (style guide)Iris Anthony. The Ruins of Lace. Sourcebooks, 2012.
Library | Owned | Available |
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Shared Digital Collection | 3 | 3 |
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- value: obsession
- value: smugglers
- value: crafting
- value: engaging
- value: eighteenth century
- value: 17th century
- value: Dramatic
- value: textiles
- value: seventeenth century
- value: cruelty
- value: Historical Fiction
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Lace is a thing like hope.
It is beauty; it is grace.
It was never meant to destroy so many lives.The mad passion for forbidden lace has infiltrated France, pulling soldier and courtier into its web. For those who want the best, Flemish lace is the only choice, an exquisite perfection of thread and air. For those who want something they don't have, Flemish lace can buy almost anything-or anyone.
For Lisette, lace begins her downfall, and the only way to atone for her sins is to outwit the noble who know demands an impossible length of it. To fail means certain destruction. But for Katharina, lace is her salvation. It is who she is; it is what she does. If she cannot make this stunning tempest of threads, a dreaded fate awaits.
A taut, mesmerizing story, The Ruins of Lace explores the intricate tangle of fleeting beauty, mad obsession, and ephemeral hope.
"Stunning...this story is sure to impress."—Publishers Weekly
"A gorgeous wrought tale of two women bound to the cruelty and beauty of a forbidden perfection...Iris Anthony has delivered a stunning achievement."—C.W. Gortner, author of The Queen's Vow
"Exquisite...this is definitely a keeper to be savored. Whoever Iris Anthony is, she's a gifted writer with what is to be hoped is only the first of many wonderful stories to tell."—Sara Poole, author of Poison and The Borgias Mistress
- reviews
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- source: Sara Poole, author of Poison and The Borgia Mistress
- content: "An exquisite book, as intricate and enticing as the lace from which it draws its inspiration. I read far too late into the night and finished it the next day only to regret reading it so quickly. This is definitely a keeper to be savored. Whoever Iris Anthony is, she's a gifted writer with what is to be hoped is only the first of many wonderful stories to tell."
- premium: False
- source: Brenda Rickman Vantrease, author of The Heretic's Wife
- content: "The Ruins of Lace is a period tale as artfully and skillfully woven as the exquisite length of lace at its center. With tears and laughter, I followed distinctively drawn characters from cloister house to chateau to a smuggler's hut deep in the forest—even to a wooden crate inhabited by an abused dog—all the while fascinated with each twist and turn of the story. This book was a pleasure to read."
- premium: False
- source: Sherry Jones, author of Four Sisters, All Queens
- content: "Iris Anthony's The Ruins of Lace is a fascinating tale, as intricately woven as her subject matter, about the contraband lace trade in France during the 17th century, when fortunes were won and lost over a bit of trim. In this exploration of greed, exploitation, and the meaning of honor, Anthony's characters leap to vivid life, drawing the reader into their destinies, reminding us that we are all complex beings capable of cruelty — and that we have, also, the power to resist the dark impulses within."
- premium: False
- source: Suzy Takacs, The Book Cellar, Chicago IL
- content: "I loved it...lovely historical fiction about a topic that is not commonly written about."
- premium: False
- source: C.W. Gortner, author of The Queen's Vow
- content: "Spun of intricate, multiple threads, The Ruins of Lace reflects the very fabric whose story it tells: a gorgeously wrought tale of two women bound to the cruelty and beauty of a forbidden perfection, and the dangerous intrigues of the lace prohibition in 17th century France. Iris Anthony has delivered a stunning achievement!"
- premium: False
- source: Gillian Bagwell, author of The Darling Strumpet and The September Queen
- content: "The Ruins of Lace is an intriguing tale about a time and place full of great beauty and fraught with great danger. Iris Anthony intertwines the delicate threads of character and plot to form a story as complex and lovely as the lace at the heart of this ingenious book."
- premium: False
- source: Karleen Koen, New York Times bestselling author of Through a Glass Darkly and Before Versailles
- content: "Compelling...I couldn't stop reading."
- premium: False
- source: Kirkus Reviews
- content: "The many facets of the story of lace are intriguing...Sweeping"
- premium: False
- source: Publishers Weekly
- content: "As beautifully fashioned as the sought-after lace, this story is sure to impress. "
- premium: False
- source: The Historical Novels Review
- content: "Anthony has written a fascinating story not only about lace, but about obsession, corruption, and self-worth. The ending is tantalizingly ambiguous"
- premium: False
- source: Nicki J Markus
- content: "A great piece of historical fiction and one I can certainly recommend to other fans of the genre."
- premium: False
- source: McArthur Book Review
- content: "This is one of the most satisfying stories I have read in some time."
- premium: False
- source: Long and Short Reviews
- content: "I will definitely be looking for more books by Iris Anthony. If you're looking to read something a little different this fall, I highly recommend this one."
- premium: False
- source: Library Journal
- content: "Anthony's writing is nothing short of fantastic, and the details she includes in this beautifully atmospheric novel will bring the settings and characters to life for readers."
- premium: False
- source: Book Savvy Babe
- content: "The Ruins of Lace is a distinctively unique novel that I would suggest for readers of historical or literary fiction."
- premium: True
- source:
- content:
June 25, 2012
In this stunning debut from the pseudonymous Anthony, King Louis XIII’s ban on lace gives rise to a black market that weaves together the lives of four women in 17th-century France and Flanders. Katharina Martens is a Flemish lace maker who considers it her God-given duty to craft the “exquisite, beautiful” fabric, never mind that her work—often conducted without firelight or lanterns, in order to keep the lace clean of soot and ash—has left her hunched and nearly blind. As the end of her lace-making career draws nigh, to be followed by the sordid existence of former craftswomen relegated to a life of “doing... vile things,” her sister, Heilwich, struggles to save enough money to buy Katharina’s freedom from the abbey where she works. Meanwhile in France, Lissette Lefort and her cousin Alexandre must procure a length of forbidden lace to pay off the conniving count of Montreau, who threatens to reveal Lissette’s father’s role in an attempted assassination of the king. As beautifully fashioned as the sought-after lace, this story is sure to impress. Agent: Natasha Kern.
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July 15, 2012
In 17th-century France, Flemish lace is desired but illegal, so the smuggling business is alive and well. This debut historical novel from Anthony (the pen name of a Christian book author) tells the story of lace from multiple perspectives, including an abused dog trained to smuggle lace across the border. Treated little better than the dog is Katharina, a nun who has become bent and blind from her incessant lace-making. Her sister, Heilwich, hopes to buy her back from the abbey before Katharina's blindness is discovered and she is cast out onto the streets, very likely to earn a living by prostitution. Meanwhile, border guards are trained to hunt smugglers, and confiscated lace ends up gracing the sleeves of the aristocracy. One young girl, Lisette, becomes entranced by the lace cuffs of a visiting Count. Her curiosity, however, ruins not only the Count's lace cuffs, but also her family's fortunes, as he resorts to blackmail to gain vengeance. He wants, of course, not only more lace, but also a means to save his own fortune, since his father has threatened to disinherit him. Why disinherit him? Well, the Marquis has a newly pregnant wife, his first wife ruined the young Count by raising him initially as a girl, and the Count shows no inclination to produce an heir himself. Lisette's cousin Alexandre has also endured hard times. He and his leprous father were cast out by the village priest long ago, yet Lisette's father rescued him. He owes his life to Lisette's father, and he has given his heart to Lisette. So when she impulsively begs the Count to take her in place of the lace, and the Count spirits her away, Alexandre vows vengeance himself. Lurking behind is the master smuggler himself, De Grote. The many facets of the story of lace are intriguing, yet Anthony does not fully weave them together. There are simply too many threads. Sweeping, yes. Cohesive, no.COPYRIGHT(2012) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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September 1, 2012
In her debut as Anthony (a pseudonym), this author of ten previous novels focuses on the craze for Flemish lace in 17th-century France. Intertwining the stories of a lace maker slowly going blind and the sister desperate to save her, a French border patrol agent, and even a dog, Anthony depicts the destruction that greed for the exquisite fabric wrought as well as the moral strength of those who understood the true harm caused by the delicate threads and circumvented the pitfalls of this treacherous industry. Anthony's writing is nothing short of fantastic, and the details she includes in this beautifully atmospheric novel will bring the settings and characters to life for readers. VERDICT Historical fiction fans tired of reading about kings and queens will greedily grab this book off the shelf.--Audrey M. Jones, Arlington, VA
Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
- premium: True
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September 1, 2012
Lace is forbidden in seventeenth-century France and has become an illicit and highly sought currency on the black market. For Lisette and her beloved cousin, Alexandre, procuring it could mean releasing their family from the blackmail they can't afford to pay. Meanwhile, across the border, in Flanders, producing it has long been Katharina's only means of survival. But Alexandre will face many dangers to obtain the precious commodity, and Katharina has gone blind from poor conditions in the workshop and now must wait for her sister, Heilwich, to come rescue her. From the poor women who supply it to the nobility who covet it, from the smugglers who run it to the soldiers who confiscate it, lace has the power to make or break lives, and first-novelist Anthony weaves these stories together into a tale as intricate as the lace itself. Artfully drawn characters bring the lyrical and gripping narrative to life, while suspense makes it hard to put down. Fans of Susan Higginbotham and Philippa Gregory will especially appreciate this period tale.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)
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Lace is a thing like hope.
It is beauty; it is grace.
It was never meant to destroy so many lives.
The mad passion for forbidden lace has infiltrated France, pulling soldier and courtier into its web. For those who want the best, Flemish lace is the only choice, an exquisite perfection of thread and air. For those who want something they don't have, Flemish lace can buy almost anything-or anyone.
For Lisette, lace begins her downfall, and the only way to atone for her sins is to outwit the noble who know demands an impossible length of it. To fail means certain destruction. But for Katharina, lace is her salvation. It is who she is; it is what she does. If she cannot make this stunning tempest of threads, a dreaded fate awaits.
A taut, mesmerizing story, The Ruins of Lace explores the intricate tangle of fleeting beauty, mad obsession, and ephemeral hope.
"Stunning...this story is sure to impress."—Publishers Weekly
"A gorgeous wrought...
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